The BEST time for music/art lessons can be summer: a great time to have FUN!

The BEST time for music/art lessons can be summer: a great time to have FUN!

When the busy times of spring are winding down, most families are looking forward to some beach time, picnics, family get-togethers and time to just sit and enjoy the garden and being home.

Then… there is the rest of summer. Children get restless with no school and too much free time. That is why learning something new or immersion in one or a few subjects in summer is rapidly becoming popular with parents. Music is a great subject for immersion, whether a child is beginning or already playing.

If your child is 0-5: a weekly music class such is Music in the Box can be a happy way to introduce music and to see if music can be a source of expression and joy in your child’s life.

Around the ages of 3 ½ -5, children often begin asking if they can try or play an instrument. A Try it and See class is a great way of exploring regular music lessons. The best instruments for a beginning student are piano, guitar, violin, and cello. Although parents do not have to play the instrument the child does, if a parent wants the advantages of starting early (early development of ability really does give a child a “head start”) parents must be willing to spend 5-10 minutes each day in joy with their little one “playing” music.

Ages 5-18 is a great time to take lessons! And summer is perfect for this. Beginners especially can benefit from taking more lessons. A good start is one of the most important parts of a successful music education to give the child the skills that he/she needs to enjoy playing music for a lifetime. If you have a child who takes school work very seriously, they can apply those skills of diligence and persistence to music lessons and the progress with “immersion” types of lessons (more time with teacher) can be what most parents see as miraculous!

High school/back from college students who already play and are developing skill, both instrumental and vocal, realize without school work, they can play and practice more and improve their technical skills to go to the next level on pieces. Some are already working on competition pieces for the following year and getting a jump on orchestral audition materials for fall.

There are also students who may be “late beginners.” Even if a child is in middle school /high school, there are many instruments a child can build great proficiency in a few years if he/she develops desire and passion. A great teacher will help accelerate the process without sacrificing the quality/technical development the student needs.

Classes/camps: Music camps both away from home and right at home can be a way of building skill, finding a new interest, and meeting friends. Vocal students enjoy choir workshops, musical theater camps and some additional one on one lessons. Other kinds of camps that are really fun are camps such as jazz camp, composition camp, chamber class (class for small amount of mixed instruments).

Finally: piano lessons. Whether a child picks piano as his only instrument or a second instrument, piano proficiency is essential for any and all musicians who want to learn all the components of music/music theory. It is truly a means of understanding harmony, chords, coordinating melody and harmony. Beginners love piano because they can play simple songs pretty quickly.

And that is FUN!!

Article written by Janet Kuester, studio director of The Music Connection, with studios in Orland Park and Frankfort. Offering private and group music instruction as well as Art Classes for all ages and abilities. To enroll or for further information, visit our website at www.theconnection2music.com or call 708-364-7590.